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Tej Parikh, senior economist at the Institute of Directors, said: “The UK’s robust labour market continues to provide much-needed buoyancy for the economy in a period of stress.

“Businesses have been steadfast in their drive to take on workers and create positions, but as the pool of available talent shrinks, the competition for new hires grows more intense by the minute.”

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “This modest rise in wage growth will do little to help workers still feeling the effects of the longest pay squeeze in 200 years.

“We need a far more ambitious plan that supports jobs and wages. That means the government putting the minimum wage up to £10 as quickly as possible , and giving unions the freedom to enter every workplace to negotiate fair pay rises.”

Suren Thiru, head of economics at the British Chambers of Commerce, said the increase in employment was further evidence that the jobs market remains a “major positive” for the UK economy, adding: “Although some firms report that Brexit uncertainty and recruitment difficulties are weighing on hiring intentions, the high degree of flexibility of the labour market continues to limit the impact of a sluggish economy on UK jobs growth.

“Pay growth is now comfortably outpacing inflation. However, achieving meaningful real wage increases over a sustained period is likely to prove challenging without delivering a marked improvement in productivity and easing the high upfront business costs which stifle pay increases.”

John Philpott, director of the Jobs Economist, said: “Self-employment accounts for two-thirds of the latest rise in employment while job vacancies have remained broadly unchanged in recent months.

“This suggests an element of caution on the part of some employers in the face of prolonged Brexit uncertainty, who may for the time being prefer to hire self-employed contractors rather than employees.”

Dr Carole Easton, Chief Executive of Young Women’s Trust, said: “Today’s record high UK employment figures are welcome news but unemployment among young women has risen by 27,000 since the previous quarter.

“In total, more than half a million young women are out of work and full-time education.”